Fundamentals and characterization of human trafficking in Europe

PEACE & SECURITY-PAIX ET SÉCURITÉ INTERNATIONALES (EuroMediterranean Journal of International Law and International Relations), 2020

The fight against trafficking in human beings poses several challenges. The introduction of the human rights approach in this area requires victim protection measures. Faced with this challenge, the European Union has opted for the introduction of different measures through Directive 2011/36/EU. This instrument complements the international framework provided by the Palermo Protocol on trafficking and the Warsaw Convention. The study of some of the provisions of these instruments should help to determine whether EU regulation is truly an advance in the protection of victims of trafficking. LA LUTTE DE L’UNION EUROPÉENNE CONTRE LA TRAITE DES ÊTRES HUMAINS: UN DÉFI POUR LE STATUT DE VICTIME La lutte contre la traite des êtres humains pose de nombreux défis. L’introduction d’une approche des droits de l’homme dans ce domaine se traduit par des mesures de protection des victimes. Face à ce défi, l’Union européenne a opté par introduire de différentes mesures par la voie de la Directive 2011/36 / UE. Cet instrument complète le cadre international prévu par le Protocole de Palerme sur la traite des êtres humains et la Convention de Varsovie. L’étude de certaines des dispositions de ces instruments devrait aider à reflectir jusqu’à que pauit la réglementation de l’UE constitue vraiment un progrès dans la protection des victimes de la traite. LA LUCHA DE LA UNIÓN EUROPEA CONTRA LA TRATA DE SERES HUMANOS: RETOS DEL ESTATUTO DE LA VÍCTIMA La lucha contra la trata de seres humanos plantea numerosos retos. La introducción del enfoque de derechos humanos en este ámbito se traduce en medidas de protección de las víctimas. Ante este reto, la Unión Europea ha optado por la introducción de distintas medidas mediante la Directiva 2011/36/UE. Este instrumento complementa el marco internacional proporcionado por el Protocolo de Palermo sobre trata y el Convenio de Varsovia. El estudio de algunas de las disposiciones de estos instrumentos debería contribuir a determinar si la regulación de la UE es verdaderamente un avance en la protección de las víctimas de trata.

The phenomenon of trafficking in human beings has, in the last decade, changed from a marginal "nonissue" to a legitimate concern of the European Union. All countries have developed (or are in the process of developing) their anti-trafficking policies to suppress this type of criminality effectively. Apart from this effort, there are several international organizations with the phenomenon in one way or another. Displaying an increasing activity within the institutional architecture constituting the EU Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice since its modest beginning in 1994, today's Europol is at the forefront of implementing and developing the EU, internal security model. Working towards eradicating THB cannot be done without placing the victim at the center of any actions and initiatives. Following so, the new EU Directive takes a human-based-gender-specific-approach with the center of interest on victims and the child's best interest. It contains substantial criminal law provisions, extensions of jurisdiction, provisions on victim support and their rights in criminal proceedings, etc. THB is a complex transnational phenomenon. Based on findings of the SOCTA 2013, Europol recommended that the operational response to serious and organized crime in the EU should also focus on this priority threat to weaken OCGs involved in this crime area, "including those groups using LBS to facilitate or disguise criminal activities." i Practise proves that the scale and nature of THB in the EU are not easy to define as they can be hidden within other criminality, such as forced prostitution or labor disputes. Also, the remaining variation of the THB definition (and its acknowledgment among law enforcement practitioners) and low diversity of information versus standardized data collection seem to allow significant gaps in numbers and knowledge. Fast-aging methodologies used for analyses of the nature and causes of human trafficking also contribute to the named trend.

uclm.net

The aim of the project was to elaborate a best practices guide in order to improve preventive strategies to fight against the phenomenon of THBSE and to improve social integration and support for the victims. Public (members of law enforcement units and members of Judiciary) and private (members of the NGOs) practitioners have participated in two focus group in every country to find strategies to improve cooperation between them and to integrate their experiences and practices in proactive activities to reduce THBSE and to promote victims' social integration. Methodology TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction………………………………………………….………6 2. Acknowledgements………………………………………….……….6 3. Partners of the project……………………………………….…….…8 4. Aim and goals of the project…………………………………………9 5. Methodology…………………………………………………..….….9 6. Country reports………………………………………………..…….10 A comparison between countries…………………………...……..……10 Introduction to the countries reports……………………………..……..16 6.1 Italian country report ……………………………………….……….25 6.2 Polish country report ………………………………………..…….…67 6.3.Portuguese country report ………………………………….……..…95 6.4.Spanish country report ……………………………………………..115 7. Best practices in each country ……..………………………………144 Annexe A: spreadsheets…………………………………………….151 Annexe B: focus groups……………………..……………………...157 Annex C: Polish action plan against trafficking on human beings..159 This report is the result of the development of a European project under the AGIS programme 2005. The report has been prepared and coordinated by Cristina Rechea and Andrea Gimenez-Salinas from the Research Centre on Criminology from the University of Castilla-La Mancha but the following people have prepared the country reports included in this report: 1 See art. 3 from Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children which supplements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

United Nations, 2011

Conn. J. Int'l L., 2009

Nova Et Vetera, 2011

In recent years, tackling effectively human trafficking has become priority for the EU legislator. The Directive on this subject was adopted on the 5th of April 2011. It is designed to provide the powerful measures to prevent crime, to protect victims and to punish the offenders. It also promises to offer more interaction among different platforms and international instruments at the European and International level: the EU, the Council of Europe, the UN and the ILO.

2017

The establishment of the Trafficking1 and the Smuggling Protocol2 has brought to the surface the importance of the concept of vulnerability. However, the Protocols have not given a precise definition to the concept of vulnerability, in order to perceive a practical application on legal grounds. In 2005, the Council of Europe tries to delimit the definition’s gap of such concept, through the Convention of Warsaw3, giving a more exact definition of the concept. The present article intends to analyse the evolution and the application of this concept on the international legal framework on Human trafficking and Smuggling of migrants.

Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) emerged on the EU's agenda in the mid-1990s. Since then, it has been the subject of increased media attention, intense political cooperation and much legal regulation. Despite three decades of commitment to maximizing co-operation in the fight against THB however, facts regarding prevention, prosecution and especially protection remain extremely discouraging. The upcoming adoption of the European Agenda on Migration therefore, which points to the "fight against criminal human trafficking networks" as one of its four priorities, is promising. It may mark the stepping up the EU's efforts to implement the existing tools and cooperation in dealing with THB. Even more so, when the transitional period for the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty's provisions regarding Justice and Home Affairs expired in December 2014. This policy brief argues however, that even though the absence of internal borders renders a European approach indispensable, the management of migration flows from third countries is not an adequate framework within which to tackle THB. In fact, the incorporation of THB into the category of migration, especially irregular migration, is arguably one of the main reasons for the lack of success of EU anti-trafficking policies to date. A revision of EU anti-trafficking policies should ensure a more inclusive decision-making process, a focus on exploitation and not on the irregular crossing of borders, a harmonization of penalties and the guarantee that measures regarding protection are made compulsory, non-discriminatory, unconditional and adequate. Moreover, the root causes of THB must be addressed and this must include a review of the impact of EU migration laws themselves.

2009